Denim innovation

Denim Innovation

Laser

Laser is replacing the conventional use of sandpaper and the chemical potassium permanganate to create a worn in effect on the jeans. Traditionally, this technique was used to brush open the surface of the fabric and make the white core of the yarns visible. By using laser instead, the surface of the yarn is burned off and the white core of the yarns revealed. This eliminates tough manual labour and harmful chemicals and damages the jeans less than manual brushing.

E-flow

E-Flow allows us to cut down on water, chemicals and energy to achieve a certain effect, for example a lighter washing in some of our denim. The conventional process is replaced by nano bubbles consisting of air, water and natural chemicals. With just 5% of the water, 10% of the chemicals and 40% of the electricity used the bubbles achieve the wanted effect. And the best part is, the chemicals can be recycled after use.

Water filtration

The jeans factory Yousstex International operates on rainwater only.The majority (95%) of this water is recycled, while the other 5% is evaporation and used to water plants. The filtration method used is called reverse osmosis which filters all indigo and fibre residues out of the water. The result is purified water that is cleaner than when it entered the factory. Of course our other suppliers also have a water filtration system in place which ensures the water released into the environment is save and clean.

Energy savings

Our fabric mill Tejidos Royois energy self-sufficientthrough a cogeneration engine. This is how it works. While a boiler produces energy, a steam engine catches the byproduct, heat, and converts it into more energy. The recycle factory Recovertex sources 50% of their energy through solar power.

Ozone

Traditionally, bleach washes are created using heavy chemicals, which is dangerous for the health of our colleagues in the factory. We use ozone to create the same effect, minus the negative impact. Oxygen is converted to ozone gas and the jeans are dampened, exposed to ozone and rinsed. Before the O3 is released into the environment, the ozone is simply reconverted to oxygen. Ozone reduces energy consumption and water use and eliminates water pollution caused by stone residues.

No-Stone Stonewash

In conventional processes pumice stones are put in a washing machine to create a stone wash effect. The particles of the stones pollute the water and the leftover stones end up as a waste product. We’ve simply replaced the stones by attaching abrasive parts in the washing machine that create the same effect when the jeans are falling onto it as when they are washed with stones.